


Avira

by Snowfire



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Valdemar Series - Mercedes Lackey
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-07-29
Updated: 2012-06-25
Packaged: 2017-10-21 23:09:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/230881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snowfire/pseuds/Snowfire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alone and seemingly forgotten at Privet Drive following Sirius's death, Harry is steadily falling into depression. But with Sirius now gone, the final act of two infinitely caring parents is about to trigger something beyond his imagining.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer:** I do not in any way attempt to claim ownership over the intellectual property or written works of JK Rowling and Mercedes Lackey. I thank both authors profusely for the wonderful worlds they have created for us to play with.

The street was silent. Not even animals seemed willing to venture there, not tonight. A presence hovered over Little Whinging on this night. But this presence had been clever, it had built up its influence so slowly, taking years to perfect its control. And in taking that time, it had cloaked itself against all but the most paranoid of searchers. All so far who had looked beyond the uneasiness it created had dismissed it as the 'wards' around one of the houses in the area. And now it was ready and there was no longer a need to hide what it could do. The magical currents of the area fluxed, power far beyond what they were used to pouring through them. A web of invisible magic wrapped around Privet Drive, discreetly cutting it off from the rest of the world and in the darkness of one of the houses bedrooms a young man jolted into wakefulness.

Silver light shattered the darkness above the houses, a silent explosion of power to draw out the Order 'watchers'. A man sprang out from a patch on nothingness, an unearthly blue eye locking onto the light. Another man, this one younger with red hair, appeared from beneath a clump of bushes in one of the house's gardens. Both raised small sticks of wood to aim at the light. Both opened their mouths to utter incantations. Both fell, unconscious, within moments of each other. The light faded, flicked through the rainbow and imploded on itself as a sleek black car pulled up beside the fourth house on the street. A man dressed in a black suit exited the rear door of the vehicle and walked up to the door of the house before him and knocking twice. There was the sound of movements, a light clicked on in the hall before the door opened to reveal a walrus like man. “If it's double glazing or _anything_ like it I don't want to know.” He said gruffly as he took in the man's appearance. Smart clothes and more than that, normal ones. Nothing like what those strange 'wizards' wore. The man smiled disarmingly as he replied.  
“Nothing so mundane I'm afraid. This _is_ No. Four Privet Drive, current residence of the Dursley's?”  
“Yes.” Vernon answered gruffly. “What is it, have we won something?” His eyes took on a look of greedy anticipation.  
“I'm afraid not sir.” Came the smooth answer. “Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is also the current residence of one Harry James Potter?” He saw Vernon's face start to close. “Please sir. I just need to talk to Mr Potter. I need to discuss a few things with him.” He smiled again and held out his hand. “My name is Mr Darnell and there are a few things that need to be brought to the attention of your,” he paused, as if considering the word to use, “ah...lodger?”  
Quite taken aback by the man's calm courtesy, Vernon found himself nodding to him and gesturing him into the house.  
“It isn't much, but if you need to talk privately you could take the dining room.” Vernon offered, indicating the door.  
“That would be much appreciated Mr Dursley.” Mr Darnell answered, bowing his head slightly in thanks, ice blue eyes glinting. “If you would be so kind as to bring Mr Potter down to see me, I will get what I need from my car.” Taking the wordless grunt he got in response as an affirmative, the well dressed man walked out to his car where he collected a slim briefcase before making his way to the dining room where he met Mr Dursley a second time.  
“The boy's in there.” He grunted. “Just tell me when you're done.”  
“There won't be a need for that Mr Dursley.” He replied  
“Hmph. And why would that be?” Vernon asked quickly, suddenly suspicious but far too late. The man's hands flicked suddenly and he went completely limp.  
“I'll let myself out Mr Dursley” Darnell said softly as he felt the sleep spell settle over the other two mundanes in the house. Flicking a finger at the man before him to stop him falling, he turned and entered the dining room and taking a seat opposite from the sixteen year old across from him.  
“Mr Potter. It is excellent to meet you at last. You will not believe the trouble I have had to go to to arrange a meeting with you.” He was not attempting to sound parental, his voice was calm and businesslike. “ My name is Mr Darnell and I have some information that I think you will want to see. It regards your parents and it is absolutely vital you get it considering what has happened over the last year.” He saw Harry's eyes light slightly at the mention of his parents before dulling at the reminder.  
“You mean Sirius dying, don't you?” He asked, voice flat.  
“I'm sorry that I have to bring that up Mr Potter. Truly, I am. But he was the only person except me who could have told you. As the only other people who knows the truth seem universally unwilling or unable to tell you it, it now falls to me.”  
“And who exactly _are_ you Mr Darnell?” Harry replied darkly. “Considering I have at least one Dark Lord out to kill me, I think I should know who you are.” The man smiled slightly.  
“Good. Regardless of how much he's tried, he hasn't managed to work that out of you.” The man replied with a slight chuckle. “My name is Avira Darnell and seventeen years ago I was entrusted with a copy of your parent's will. There have been several minor and at least one major violation of the contract it represented by several parties and as the last surviving bearer I am now empowered to inform you of it's contents. I hoped that Padfoot would have managed to tell you before he was lost to the Veil, but when he fell the emergency clause of this will was activated.”  
“Well, I had wondered.” Harry replied, his voice again dead. “Now that I think about it, I was never shown what my parents left to me. But,” suspicion bled into his voice and Avira Saw his hand grasp his wand underneath the table, “you expect me to believe you when you haven't done anything to make me do so. Sure, you can say all the pretty things you like, but you could be anyone.”  
“Harry, sorry, may I call you Harry?” At his curt nod, Avira continued. “I know I could be anyone. And you're right, I haven't given you any reason to trust me. But by now I believe you know about how to ensure I am who and what I say I am.” His hands moved slightly, flicking through a complicated pattern and Harry's eyes widened slightly before his own hand – the other still grasping his wand – responded. “Now will you trust me to be who I say I am?” he asked gently.  
“I...well, I can't really say no to that now can I.” Harry said, a trace of humour edging in to cover suspicion. “ If you had tried to lie you wouldn't still be talking to me. I'll listen to what you have to say, Avira.”  
“Thank you Harry. Now for this, I'm afraid I need to put on my official hat.” He placed his briefcase on the table. “You might have heard of these cases, but if not, this is a _Curorreus_ case.” At Harry's gasp, he smiled slightly once more. “I see you have heard of them. This case contains what I believe to be the last surviving original of your parent's will and is spelled to require the willingly given blood of both a Potter and an Evans. As you are both, you can open this case with a single offering of your own blood. Nothing else can open it and it has remained closed since I was given it by your parents seventeen years ago. He took a ceremonial dagger, inscribed with the Potter-Evans crest, from an inside pocket of his suit and handed it to Harry. “As the only living child of James Potter and Lily Evans, only you can open this case. Do you so wish?” He intoned. Harry felt something swirling within him, something powerful straining against the bonds that held it.  
“I so wish.” He raised his hand over the case and the dagger sliced effortlessly through his skin. “By the right of blood I may reveal its contents.” He made a fist of his hand and allowed the blood to drip onto the case. The clasps snapped open and Harry raised the lid with his other hand.

Light fountained up out of the case, building up into a pillar and Avira whispered an oath as Power poured out it. The ball of energy aligned itself, focusing on Harry and Avira Saw tendrils of shining Power leap out to the boy, grasping his mind. Harry felt the power touch him, slicing down through his soul to find his essence. He gasped as it plumbed him to his depths, reaching deep, deep down into recesses he never knew existed. And the old magic inside him, the magic that no one outside of the Potter _blood_ line ever learnt of, sprang to life. He felt the connection between him and Power of the will touch that magic, coaxing it into wakefulness. The light above the case spun out around him into a ring of incandescent light and Avira suddenly realised what was about to happen. Seizing a nearby node, he tied his shields into it and slammed his eyes shut as blinding fire exploded out of the ground around Harry. The edge of the storm of Power grazed the his shields, sending him reeling, but that was only the edge. Harry, at the centre of the storm, felt the energy erupt beneath him and almost screamed as it sprang up to consume him. Except, it didn't burn. He somehow felt the ring around him, flexing beneath the torrent of energy, but holding. He saw the storm around him fuse into the ring and then stream into him. Fire poured into his mind, following the pathways the magic of the will had connected. He felt the Power enter those pathways, forcing them open as more Power hammered into his soul. Knowledge poured through the connection too, riding the flow of energy as it lowered slowly. The Power around him subsided, fusing into the ring around him that flowed back into the orb it had been before. The orb dropped back into the case, and it snapped shut.

Avira lowered his hands, very slowly allowing his Mage-sight to open again. He released his hold on the node, allowing the power he had taken to flow back into it first and then looked to Harry. He saw the teenager looking around him wildly. A quick Look at him showed that his magical channels had been opened to the point where they couldn't safely open further. This seemed to have given the young man quite keen Mage-sight. But there was far more than that. Beneath the gilding of Mage-sight, Avira saw the tell-tales of the very, very powerful Empathic Gift he had seen in James. _:Dear Goddess:_ he thought, slightly stunned by what the Power-storm had unlocked _:if he_ ever _loses control around people without shields. I was only meant to deliver this...but I have to help him train his Gift. If I don't the consequences will be devastating.:_ He sighed, a gift this powerful would take years to properly train, but he really didn't have a choice.  
“Harry, are you all right?” He asked softly.  
“Um....I think so. But what's all this stuff around you?” Harry asked, distinctly confused.  
“That Power-storm awoke two things in you Harry. The first was what you are noticing now. It's called Mage-sight. It allows you to See magic. What you can see around me are my passive shields. When we go outside, you will be able to See the wards around this house and shields I placed around the area so that we could talk uninterrupted.” He paused, a frown suddenly tugging at his lips. “And...speaking of which.” He winced slightly. “We should really be going before Albus and that altogether lovely Order of his manage to break them.” His brow tightened in sudden concentration. “I've removed the Trace from your wand, you can freely cast now.” Harry couldn't move fast enough, he ran up to his bedroom, barely pausing at his uncle slumped against the wall outside the dining room. Waving his wand at the room, he muttered a charm and everything flew into his trunk. He grabbed his Invisibility Cloak from the top, slammed the trunk shut and shrunk it to the size of a match-box before hastily stuffing it into his pocket. On the way down, he did notice Vernon and ground to a sudden halt as he saw the weak veil of what he assumed to be an enchantment. He glanced questioningly at Avira. “A sleeping spell only, to ensure that we could talk in private.” He explained quickly, pulling him towards the door. “Come, we have to hurry.” His entire face was strained, incredible concentration evident on every facet of it. Harry rushed through the door, closely followed by Avira. He looked at the car.  
“Are we taking that?” He said, disbelieving.  
“Nothing so mundane Harry.” Avira replied quickly, hands groping at the air before him, weaving a circle of light in the air. “Now, when I get his open I want you to get through it Harry. I'm setting it to take you to a sanctuary of mine. Just don't touch anything. I'll be along after I've explained a few things to Dumbledore.” He waved his hand savagely as Harry started to protest. “No. This is something that I have to do. I can get away by myself, but I wouldn't be able to get both of us past all of them.” His head jerked in the direction of the entrance to Privet Drive. Harry spun, looking towards it to see Dumbledore, just about the entire Order of the Phoenix and a _lot_ of what looked like Aurors. On his facing them, most of them started yelling at Harry for him to run to them, to get away from the man beside him. Ignoring their false cries, he Saw Dumbledore start pounding away at the shields Avira had erected. His examination of multi-layered system was cut off though, as they vanished at Avira's triumphant hiss. “Got it! Had to let the shields go down, but no matter.” He turned quickly to Harry as the horde of people at the opening to Privet Drive started sprinting for them. “Get out of here, I'll be along in a bit.” He gestured at the shimmering circle that held a picture of another place. “Just _don't_ touch anything.” Harry clasped hands with him quickly, then ran through the Gate as the first stunner slashed past them. Avira let the Gate collapse, no point in letting a spell through, and tapped into the node beneath him.

The hundred strong – at least – group of wizards surrounded him easily and Dumbledore stepped out from them to face him.  
“I don't care who you are, but you will bring Harry Potter back, unharmed, or face the full might of the International Wizarding Confederation. As Head of that body, I will utilize every resource at my disposal to extract the location of Harry Potter from you!” He carefully modulated his voice into an artful mix of anger and sorrow. “You have one chance to-”  
“You know, where do you get it? Is it some sort of genetic defect that makes you turn _every single confrontation_ you have into a speech?” Avira said mockingly and gestured at the people around him. “And you, you _let_ him get away with this grandstanding? Is it something in the water around here?”  
“Albus Dumbledore is a great wizard! He has that rig-” Molly Weasley yelled, building up towards a true Weasley rant before she was cut off.  
“He has _what?_ A _right_ to do so?” Avira repeated incredulously . “Goddess, you actually believe that claptrap don't you?”  
“Why you-!”  
“What?” He asked, this time his voice afire with condescension. “What am I? Apart from ruggedly handsome and a more powerful sorcerer than your vaunted 'Dumbledore' will ever be.”  
“I am giving you one last chance young man,” Dumbledore said kindly, but with steel behind the voice. “Bring Harry back or I will be forced to take you into custody.”  
“What, you and your army of tin soldiers? Try it!” Avira answered contemptuously as he locked his connection to the node with his shields.  
“Very well.” Dumbledore said sadly. “I did not want to do this. Take him.”  
Spells slashed in at Avira from all around him, stunners, body-binds, blasting hexes, everything short of Unforgivable curses, impacting on the sparkle in the air that were his shields. The air filled with spell-fire, splashing away at them. Avira shut his eyes as Power poured in on the unending barrage of magic. His brow clenched with concentration once more, absorbing the power and focusing it. More and more energy streamed in from over a hundred of some of most powerful duellists in the Wizarding World. Dumbledore, his voice barely audible over the incantations, exhorted his followers on to even greater efforts and Avira smiled a dark smile. His left hand twisted upwards into a fist, using the motion to further focus the horrendously intense currents building around him.

“Silence!” His fist sprang open, Power locking down the vocal cords of the wizards around him. His hand snapped out in a sweeping gesture, sending a shock-wave of light tearing through them and throwing them to the ground.  
“Dumbledore! Your efforts are admirable, but ultimately useless I'm afraid. I'll meet you again someday, maybe then you'll have worked out how I did this.” Avira's clear voice echoed across the street, reaching the ears of every wizard. “Meanwhile, I leave you with something that should keep even _you_ occupied for a time.” Silver fire ignited around him, building up into a spire of roiling energy. Dumbledore had just enough time to venture a guess at what was about to happen and desperately attempt to raise a shield. He wasn't quick enough.

White fire shattered the night, an immeasurable detonation of Power that tore at the Earth itself. For a moment, Little Whinging became little more than light, fire and sound as Avira lashed out with the energy he had absorbed from the wizarding assault. The mage-blast tore the area apart, flattening every building within a fifteen mile radius and damaging ones almost twenty five miles out. But amazingly, when the search and rescue teams had finished combing the area they found that there had not been a _single_ casualty. At least, no physical ones. But for the white bearded man laid out unconscious at the centre of a huge, distinctly magical, explosion the consequences were only starting to unfold.

Avira watched as teams of Obliviators swept the area for people who had witnessed whatever had happened, a separate team from the DMLE scooping up Dumbledore and his compatriots. A slight smile graced his lips as a ring of light flowed into existence before him. “Well, old man.” He said softly. “I hope you have a good time explaining _this_.” He stepped through the Gate and it imploded into nothingness, leaving no sign of his presence. Only silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I need to get a few things out of the way here to stop possible mobbing. This is in no way going to be a super-Harry fic. Neither is Avira going to be able to do what he did here much. He's very powerful, yes, but that power does have limits. Those limits will be sounded out in later chapters, as will the explanations to just exactly what the will awakened in Harry. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it and please leave a review on your way out.
> 
> Wind to thy wings.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry fell through the Gate terminus, senses reeling from the shock of the Void. The world spun around him as he hit the ground, the impact shocking him slightly back into reality but making his eyes water.  
“Dammit!”A distinctly feminine voice quietly, gentle arms lifting him up off the floor and laying him out on a 'bed' of cushions. “I'm sorry,” she continued in the same calm voice, “I really _did_ mean to catch you but you came through so fast. I'm surprised you didn't _really_ hurt yourself.” Harry's vision cleared as he blinked the water out of them to reveal a shockingly beautiful woman who seemed far too young for the white hair that fell to her waist. Attempting to clear his throat, he groaned as his stomach attempted to rebel again.  
“What the hell was that?” He asked weakly.  
“You mean the Gate?”  
“If that's the thing that brought me here, yes.” In response to which he got a soft laugh.  
“Well, I _could_ give you the technical explanation, but I don't think you want to know.” She said, blue eye's sparkling with mischief. “I take it Avi 'forgot' to tell you what to expect.” She sighed as he nodded. “I swear, one of these days I'm going to kill him...” she whispered detachedly before focusing on Harry again, something he was really beginning to enjoy. “You're Lily's kid, right?” She didn't wait for a response. “What you're dealing with currently is a combination of Void exposure coupled with an untrained Gift. And on top of that, your magic seems to be throwing a small fit over being thrown about like it just was.”  
“And you call that _not_ really hurting myself.” Harry responded faintly, “And where am I? All I got told was that the...Gate, that is what you called it? The Gate was set to take me to a sanctuary.”  
“Compared to some things I've seen result from Gate travel, this is _mild_ Harry. As to where you are,” She paused, considering what to say. “you _are_ in a sanctuary. As to where that sanctuary actually is...I think that's something that Avi should be explaining to you.” She reached out to touch his forehead, her cool hand soothing him. “For now, you need to rest. Everything else can wait.” She concentrated slightly and Harry's head fell back as a mental command dropped him into slumber. She waved a hand at the mage-lights around her, damping their brilliance, and then turned her concentration back to her charge.

*****

Harry awoke to warmth and soft voices close by, talking about him.  
“I thought you said you only had to deliver what they gave you. You never said anything about _this_.” That was the woman from after the...Gate and if he never went through one of them again it would be too soon.  
“How could I, Elani? You must have Looked at him.” Avira responded.  
“Well...yes, but that doesn't advocate -”  
“El, it would have been a violation of everything I am to leave him there. You've sat in on some of my scrying sessions, you _know_ what that manipulative _kadessa_ has planned for him. With a Gift of that strength..” He let his voice trail off, allowing his companion to think about the consequences.  
“All right, I knew from the moment I Saw that Gift you wouldn't be able to turn him away. I just-”  
“I know, love. Now as he's awake again, I think he needs an explanation of what I've done though.”  
“You think?” Elani teased as they approached Harry and settled on either side of him. “Come on Harry, we know you're awake.”  
“And as you heard every word of our discussion, I think you know what we're here to talk about too.  
Harry let his eye's flicker open, wiping away sleep-sand with one hand whilst the reached out to-  
“Where are my glasses?” He asked suddenly, not finding them within arm's reach. A hand touched his, returning the battered frames to him.  
“Sorry, we just wanted them out of reach so you couldn't damage them. We didn't know how much you moved in your sleep.” Avira's voice said calmly as Harry slid the glasses on and sat up slowly.  
“You said something about an explanation?” He asked quickly.  
“Yes. I'm afraid I might have taken certain liberties where you're concerned. I basically forced you through that Gate without telling you anything about where you were going.” Avira said apologetically, “I really thought I knew what I was doing, but I might have just cut you off from most of the people you've been friends with for the past five years.” Harry let him sweat for a few seconds and then waved it aside.  
“It's no real heart-ache considering what my parent's will had to say about a lot of those 'friends' and the families they belonged to. What I really want to know about is the other Gift you said their will awakened in me. You did say it awakened two.”  
“Yes, yes I did Harry.” Avira replied, suddenly very serious. “This is really more Elani's field than mind though, so I waited to get back here before trying to explain it.” He gestured at the woman who had caught Harry. “El, if you would?” She gave him a muted glare, softening it with a smile.  
“If I must.” She sighed dramatically. “All right Harry, the second Gift that the Power-storm Avira told me about unlocked was a very strong two-way Empathic Gift. Before I go into specifics, I need to ask you. What do you know about Empaths in your world?”  
“I...I've picked up a few things, they're supposed to be able to feel other people's emotions or something like that. But...what do you mean by 'my world?” He said, lurching to his feet and brushing away Elani's restraining hands. His entire body felt like it had been hit by a jelly-legs hex, but he forced himself across the room, both his hosts springing to their feet as he reached the window. His eyes took in the huge trees, their type so out of keeping with the warm wind against his face. The dwellings built about their massive trunks and the not-people mixed with the humans he could see from his vantage point. “Sweet Merlin.” He whispered. He felt his legs begin to give way, a grey haze clouding his vision.  
“ _Sketi_! Not again!” Elani cursed as she and Avira leapt across the distance between them as Harry collapsed on the floor of their _ekele_.

*****

“You know, I think I finally understand what Avi meant when he said you were as bad as a Herald.” Elani admonished as Harry as he rose back into the waking world.  
“What's a Herald?” He asked, his voice hoarse from lack of water.  
“Nothing you need to know about.” She replied quickly. “Now, drink this.” She handed him a glass. “That stunt you pulled has had you out for almost two days, I thought I told you that you needed to rest.”  
“But I needed to know where I was....” His voice trailed off at her look. “Ok...I should have asked you to let me see.”  
“There, that wasn't so hard was it?” She said cheerfully as he drained the last of the water from the cup she had given him. “Now. I think I was about to try explaining that Gift your father gave you before you decided to stagger across the room and collapse.” He opened his mouth to protest and then closed it as she gave him another look. “But as you've seen the Vale, I think you need that explained first.” _:Avi, get in here, I may need some help in explaining this:_ she Called. Harry's head snapped up.  
“What was that?” He snapped. “Didn't you feel it?” She openly stared at him. He couldn't be sensing her call, could he? Well, there was only one way to find out. _:Avi, I think he can sense Mindspeech. Get up here_ now.: She watched very closely as her charge jumped again.  
“What is that?” He exclaimed, his voice sharper now and she shook her head. “What?” He asked.  
“Well...that hasn't happened for a while.” She answered cryptically. “You sensed me using Mindspeech Harry. It's nothing to worry about, but it means your Gift is incredibly receptive. I was shielding my second Call and you still heard it.”  
“Mindspeech? You mean something like telepathy?”  
“I'm not sure, I don't know a huge amount about your world I'm afraid.” She replied softly, unused to not knowing answers.  
“That's an excellent analogy Harry, but it's not quite that simple.” Avira said for her, walking in from the ramp beside the _ekele_. “Mindspeech, and Mind-magic as a whole is a very complicated Art. From what you were asking, I take it El was right when she told me you could sense us Talking.”  
“I think so. I couldn't make out any words...but I knew _something_ was happening.” Harry ventured, trying to explain exactly what he had felt. “It's very confusing.”  
Elani smiled at him. “Good, you _are_ human after all.” She laughed at his bemused glance. “Now that we've got _that_ out of the way, I think we were about to explain where you are.”  
“You said something about a Vale,” Harry prompted.  
“Yes. You are currently in one of the three k'Leshya Vales that have been established so far.” Avira said, a touch of pride in his voice. “I'm afraid that when I told you that the Gate was set to a sanctuary, I didn't exactly tell you how far away it was. You're in the Pelagiris Forest, not more than a few leagues from the Pelagir hills. I know you won't have heard of this place, but I thought you could use a reference point.” At Harry's tentative nod, he continued. “I am so sorry for what I did Harry, but I had to get you somewhere completely out of Dumbledore's reach. That meant bringing you here, I didn't want to risk harming anyone if Dumbledore found us before you had your Gift under control. Empathy is a very dangerous Gift Harry.” His voice turned very serious. “I've seen the Cruciatus Curse that your world calls unforgivable. Let me tell you this, the effects of that curse are nothing compared to what an Empath can do. I'm going to be telling you this from now until you're able to fully control it, so you're going to need to get used to it. Empathy is _**not**_ something you play about with.”  
“Avi's right Harry. When used wrongly, Empathy can be used to tear people apart emotionally and worse. The first thing I did when you got here was to partially lock your gift down.” He looked accusingly at her, but she didn't back down. “Harry, if I hadn't you could've been seriously hurt when you woke up. You don't have anything in the way of shields and I doubt many people have strong enough Mind-shields to prevent you picking something up. And _you_ could have damaged them if you thought they were invading your mind and lashed out in defence.” He looked at her reproachfully for a few seconds before folding.  
“I may not like people playing with my head, but I can accept the reasons behind why you did this. You didn't want me or others hurt.”  
“Exactly.” She paused. “I _am_ sorry about doing so, but as I said..” Her voice trailed off as Harry nodded.  
“I know and I _do_ understand. It's just that a lot of people seem to have been playing with my head.” He said sadly and Avira squeezed his shoulder gently.  
“It's going to hurt kid, I'd be a liar if I said otherwise. But you still have some friends in Hogwarts.” He sighed as Harry looked at him. “Do you honestly believe everyone you knew was a spy?” He chuckled. “What about Hermione? Or Luna and Neville? Last year, who convinced you that you weren't going to the Department of Mysteries without them?”  
“I-”  
“Exactly. You have friends there, one or two that are completely out of the control of that manipulative old coot. And we can't keep you here, there are far too many people who would do everything in their power to get their hands on your type of magic.”  
“What do you mean?”  
“Harry, our magic is different from yours in many ways, but it's alike enough to be compatible. And _that_ ,” He pointed at Harry's wand, “could give an Apprentice the powers of an Adept. If the secret of how to make them fell into the hands of a blood-path mage, we'd never be able to stop them. I wish I _could_ keep you here, but I don't think you actually want to stay here either. You'd be abandoning everything you knew and regardless of what Dumbledore has lied to you about, Trelawney's prophecy was true. Voldemort cannot die whilst you live.” Harry's mouth had started to open to voice a protest, but the last part of Avira's speech snapped it shut. His eyes clouded with repressed rage and he slumped back into the cushions around him.  
“So I can stay here and leave the entire world to suffer until I die, or I can go back to face Dumbledore and his merry crew? When faced with that, there really isn't much of a choice. And damn you if you didn't know it!” Harry snapped venomously.  
“Harry-” Elani began soothingly.  
“Damn it! Why must _I_ always be in the middle of something like this! Why did this have to happen to me! He shouted suddenly, springing to his feet and punching a cushion across the room. “I mean _come on_! Can't I have a break at least _once_ in my life?”  
They both looked at him, sorrow emanating from their eyes. Such sorrow that it rendered his anger inert. “I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken that out on you.” He hung his head.  
“No Harry,” Avira said, laying his hand on Harry's shoulder again. “You needed that. And better that you did it to people who can shield against an Empath than ripping someone's mind to shreds.”  
“Avi's right Harry. You were throwing all your pent up feelings at us when you were shouting. We can protect ourselves...but very few in your world can and none completely.”  
“But, what if this happens when I go back. How will I stop myself hurting people?” Harry asked, the implications of his Gift finally starting to sink in.  
“We'll help you Harry.” Avira replied. At Harry's questioning look, he continued. “Elani and I decided last night. You may be the person your world needs, but no one in that world understands Mind-magic. You need training, and you're going to need help becoming what your world needs.”  
“And that,” Elani said comfortingly, “is where _we_ come in. Your Gift will need years of training for you to come to fully understand and be able to control it. And it would go against everything the Clans stand for to abandon you.”  
“But how will you be able to be with me? You can't just waltz into Hogwarts an-” Harry's voice cut off again in a gasp of shock as the people before him shimmered and changed.  
“Glamour charms Harry. Our magic, it won't be detectable by yours.” Elani continued in a different voice. “We travelled to Hogwarts last night like this and applied for some positions there. You are now speaking to your new DADA teacher and your auxiliary nurse. The Ministry decided that they needed one after all the problems they've been having there.”  
“But....you need records. And you don't know the _first_ thing about wand magic Avira, you don't even have a _wand_!”  
“There's almost nothing that can't be bought Harry. Identities are cheap, even in the magical world.” Elani answered mischievously. “As for Avi's...shortcomings,” she laughed aloud as he glared at her, “we were hoping that you might know someone who could help him learn enough to manage the younger classes.” And Harry himself laughed at the look on Avira's face.  
“Well...Charlie Weasley maybe. He works with dragons and if he doesn't know enough about defence, I don't think anyone will. If, of course, he's safe.”  
“Charlie actually left the country to get away from Dumbledore's schemes. He knew what was happening and was clever enough to be able to get out before he got too deep.” Avira said. “Good choice Harry.”  
“Now.” Elani dismissed the glamours and led him to a table where a meal was laid out for three. “You need a good meal and have a proper night's sleep. We can talk about all of this tomorrow.” She sat down, half dragging Harry down with her and Avira joined them.  
“And then we can get working on your Gift. We might not be able to give you years of training, but I think we can get you trained to shield before we have to return.”  
“Don't forget your lessons though.” Harry said cheekily, eliciting a laugh from his hosts. Never before had he felt such peace. He knew he was safe here, with his new friends and teachers. And life, for a time at least, was good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: And there we have it folks. I hope this answers most of your questions and more than that, I hope it works. We have a jump over the summer after this as I refused to subject you to a training montage. Enjoy and please leave a review on your way out.
> 
> Wind to thy wings


	3. Chapter 3

Harry stood, dressed again in the clothes of his world. The last six weeks had probably been the most tiring 'holiday' in his life. Working non-stop with Elani to get his Gift under at least partial control. Charlie helping Avira with how to teach Defence and sneaking a few lessons to Harry into their tight schedule. And whenever he had any free time that wasn't spent eating or sleeping he would be either learning to fight with Avira, poring over the books Charlie had given him or working through the exact wording of his parent's will that was now indelibly written into his mind. But regardless of the amount of work he had _done_ and the little sleep he had been forced to survive on, Harry had rarely felt happier. He had actually done something this summer that would have a lasting effect on his life, for all that it had been triggered by another.  
Harry was eternally grateful for Charlie's help and had said as much only to be met with a muttered disclaimer. But what he had said to Harry after their last session before returning to their world still lingered in his mind. "Last year, I would have said you didn't have a chance against what was planned out for you." He had paused as his Gate home solidified and he walked towards it. _"Now though, now I think that even without the aid of those beside you know, you could fight your way free of the plans that were laid out for you seventeen years ago. You've grown up a lot Harry, and even though so much is set against you, I cannot help but think that you'll come out of this as a true reflection of what James was to my generation. You'll do him and your mother proud."_ Charlie had stepped through the Gate – for some reason he actually seemed to enjoy Gating – to be whisked back to where he belonged.  
The ring of light in front of him rippled and fluxed as Avira reached out to a little known and never used room in one of Diagon Alley's many shops. Never used because of the glamour placed on the entrance to it. Harry felt Elani move up beside him.  
"How are you feeling?" She asked softly. "It must be at least a _bit_ nerve-racking. He felt her grin, "I mean, imagine how some of your friends are going to react." A frown touched his lips, before smoothing away.  
"Well considering what you and the Will showed me, I can guess two of them. Shocked and sullen. The rest..." He suppressed a shudder as he imagined how Hermione would react.  
"I take it that was for the benefit of Hermione?" Avira said as the Gate stabilised, his voice laced with amusement. "Well, I guess so," he laughed as Harry shot a glare at him.  
"Don't look so surprised Harry, you're fretting like a Hawk-brother over his first eyas." Elani joked, eyes sparkling.  
"All right!" He half-snapped. "I'm nervous! More than that, I'm absolutely terrified of what's going to happen when I run into whoever it is I run into first." He waved his hand to cut off what they both started to say. "I know, give partial truths. I'm just really worried that I'll give something away. And if I do that, then everythi-" Elani shushed him with one hand.  
"Don't worry Harry, just remember what you learnt with me. Keep your Gift open to them and use that sense." She enfolded him in a hug. "Good luck kiddo, we'll see you on the First." She released him, giving him a gentle push towards the Gate and Avira who mimicked her gesture of affection.  
"You'll do fine Harry, really. Before you go though, we thought you should have something of ours to keep with you." He reached into his robes and withdrew a sword-belt, handing it to Harry. Avira continued as Harry reverently buckled the belt around him and adjusted the scabbard so that it wouldn't hinder his movement. "That is Elani's gift to you. This is mine." Harry saw a blur of silver flash in Avira's hands and instinctively dropped into a fighting posture.  
His jaw dropped. Avira held in his hands a sword that pulsed with latent magic to his Mage-sight. And it was held out to _him_. His throat choked up, voice failing him as completely as his body as his arms came up to take the sword from his teacher. Reality caught up with him.  
"Avi...Avira I _can't_. That's an enchanted blade, I know you only have a few. How can I take something like this from yo-Ah!" His left hand had been sliding along the blade of the weapon, almost caressing it and he gasped as one of his fingers slipped onto the edge. A cut opened down the tip, crimson fluid rolling down the blade and Avira smiled.  
"I could not take it from you know even if you tried to give it back to me Harry." He said, his voice full of pride. "Your blood is the first it has ever drawn and it will serve no other." Harry stared at him, his eyes sparkling slightly. He wiped the blade on the cloth Avira handed him, then wrapped the blood-stained white silk around the cut. Only then did he notice that the blood flow had slowed as if Healed.  
"It's a four-season enchantment Harry." Elani said helpfully. "I think you know what that is now."  
"Thank you." He said finally, shaking off his shock and driving the blade home into its sheath. "I shall treasure these always."  
"We know Harry." Avira replied, "and this means that a part of us will always be with you, for they can never leave your side." He smiled at his pupil. "Now go, before Elani decides she has to give you another hug. We'll see you in a few days." Harry visibly steeled himself for the Gate, remembering the few trips he had taken through them. He looked back at the two clan-sibs with a smile.  
"Yes, I'll see you in a few days. I hope you get settled in OK." He stepped through the Gate and back into the world of his birth.  
The Gate transit was nasty, not nearly as bad as the first one, but not particularly fun either. Still, it could have been much worse Harry thought as he shook his head to clear the grey from his vision.  
"I am never getting used to those things!" He half-shouted, only then realising that he wasn't sure if the shields around him muted sound. He froze for a few seconds, listening intently. All he heard was the businesslike sounds of Diagon Alley just before the school term. Taking the fact that he hadn't been heard as a good sign, he swept his Invisibility Cloak around him – making sure that his scabbard didn't protrude out too far from the rest of his body – and slipped out through the glamour. He moved through the crowd like a wraith, almost dancing between the people around him. Then he noticed the posters. The posters with _his_ face on them. The posters that said MISSING and offered a one hundred thousand Galleon reward to anyone who came forward with information that lead to his recovery. That was when it hit him, he had been away for almost _two months_! His 'dance' slowed, taking him towards a dark alley between two shops. Just short of the opening though, a familiar voice caught his attention.  
"Hermione, I know you're worried about him, but Dumbledore and the Ministry have _everything_ they have looking for him. And they comb the Alley every day. What are the chances of us finding him?" Ronald Weasley, his one time best friend, complained as he and his sister trooped down the street behind a familiar, chocolate-eyed brunette. She turned at Ron's comment.  
"Just because you're too lazy to look for your 'best mate' doesn't mean I am Ronald."  
"But Hermione-"  
"Don't you dare 'But Hermione' me!" Hermione Granger, in Harry's unvarnished opinion the brightest witch in a generation, snapped at Ron. "And I don't see any problem with at least _trying_. I mean-" Her voice cut off as they passed the alley that Harry had ducked fully into to hide himself.  
Pulling off his Invisibility Cloak and pocketing it, he slipped back into the crowd to follow the three. Sidling up completely unnoticed, he overheard the end of Hermione's rant. "Who knows, he might even come to us first." She finished.  
"Hermione, you can't actually expect tha-" Ginny started as Harry laid a hand on her shoulder. She turned towards him, hand moving for her wand. "Now, just what do you wan-" Her voice died in her throat, jaw dropping.  
"You know," He said mischievously, delighting in her shock, "I always said you should listen to Hermione." He had just enough time to grin at her amazement before –  
"Harry!" – the brown haired whirlwind realised. A year earlier he could have been bowled over by that hug. Now though, after well over a month of regular exercise and sparring he swayed only slightly as Hermione collided with him. "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!" She whispered to him, before pulling away...and slapping him, hard.  
"Hermione!" Ginny and Ron admonished. Ginny, he noticed, was considerably more vehement in her condemnation.  
"No." He said firmly, ignoring the fact that the crowd around them had ground to a silent stop. "I really did deserve that." He said contritely. "I'm sorry about not contacting anyone, but it was too dangerous."  
"Harry, all of Britain is looking for you! Tonks said that you had been kidnapped by someone! He shoved you through a door made of light and then blew Little Whinging apart. What happened to you? Why haven't you tried to contact anyone! And what abou-" He placed a gentle hand over her mouth, cutting off the stream of questions.  
"Slow down" he – only half – begged, "Give a guy a chance. Please?" Hermione glared at him, but relented. "All right."  
"I know," he said, choosing his words with care – a silent "now" tacked on in his head, "that a lot of people have been looking for me. But I need training if I'm going to be able to carry out what the prophecy requires of me. So I found someone who was both willing and capable of helping me. I'm sorry that I didn't contact you, but if I did Hedwig could've been tracked to find me and I couldn't let that happen. Where I was is too great a secret to risk a message that could have lead to its discovery. As to what happened to me...suffice to say I have learnt a lot this summer." He seemed about to elaborate, until Ron finally shook himself – partially – out of his shock.  
"Harry, where have you been mate?"  
"Harry just said! He can't tell u-" Harry almost, _almost_ laughed at the expression on Ron's face as Hermione verbally laid into him. As Ginny started to be drawn into the argument, he pencilled a short note, slipped it into Hermione's pocket and disappeared into the crowd. "-so that's why he can't say! Ok?" Hermione half shouted at Ron before turning back to Harry. "But really Har-" She found herself addressing empty air. She slipped a hand into her robes to grasp her wand but it instead fell upon a small piece of parchment. "Now look what you've done! You scared him away!" She screamed at her companions who cringed as she rounded on them. "Well isn't that just perfect!" She spun on her heel and strode into the crowd.  
"Hermione! Where are you going?" Ginny asked suddenly, causing her to turn again.  
"I am going to go to Flourish and Blotts. I just remembered that I forgot to get one of my Arithmancy books." She replied, keeping her voice as clear of venom as possible. "Now if you will excuse me." She whirled away from the two redheads and vanished into the once again moving crowd.  
Carefully unfolding the note between the towering shelves of Flourish and Blotts, Hermione's hands shook slightly as she unwrapped the first real message from her closest friend for the entire summer and looked down at the hand-written scrawl.  
 _Hermione.  
I'm glad you opened this away from the Weasleys (if you want to know how I know you've done that, I'll tell you later). I need to see you Hermione, and I hope your mind is still the one I know because I'm going to need your help. If you want to meet me – and I hope you do – go to the entrance to Knockturn alley at 4 o'clock today. I will find you there.  
Harry_  
Taking a random book from the shelves – Ron would never care to ask about it – she purchased it and then checked her watch. Half past three. She couldn't go back to Ron and Ginny as there probably wouldn't be a way to shake them loose in time. Nor could she just wait at the entrance to Knockturn for half an hour. But what did he mean, "I hope your mind is still the one I know". She sighed, struggling – for one of the few times in her life – to work out what he could have meant by that statement. Resigning herself to the wait, she pulled out the book she had bought (The Intricacies of Runic Enchantment), sat down on a bench outside one of the shops and vanished into the world of runic magic.  
Her alarm alerted her to the time twenty minutes later. Shaking herself free of a particularly interesting piece on how the majority of long term wards were anchored, she closed the book and packed it carefully back into her bag. Getting up from the bench, she stretched to relieve the tension in her muscles and then headed for the main entrance to Knockturn Alley.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there's chapter three at last - after someone pointed out that I had posted the same chapter twice. Thank you, sometimes I'm an idiot. I know it's shorter than the other two I've posted so far, but I got to where it ends and the rest of what I had planned ran off and hid in chapter four. Darned Gates...*mutters darkly*. Oh, just to clear this up. Yes, Harry now has a sword which is what Need was before what's-her-name forged herself in the blade. But that is all he's getting to help him whilst Avira and Elani are away so I think it's fair (thoughts appreciated though). Regardless, I really do hope I've managed to keep your interest in this story going. It's a joy to write and I would hate to put you off just as things are starting to get good. Please leave a review on the desk as you leave.
> 
> Wind to thy wings.


	4. Chapter 4

Harry was in trouble. There were several reasons for this and yet most came down to the same person. First there was the fact that two of his closest friends were now incontrovertibly proven to be traitors and he didn't know if there were more betrayals to come. For not the first time he half-heartedly wished that his Gift wasn't _quite_ so powerful. Through even the shock of seeing him again, Harry had felt a deep and truly saddening hatred directed at him from Ron. It hurt to have the proof shown, especially when the person in question had been a close friend for almost five years. Then there was the confused muddle of feelings he was getting from Ginny. There was a hatred that probably eclipsed that of Ron and yet layered in with that was a frighteningly powerful lust for what Harry was. There wasn't a shred of care for a "Harry" in either of their feelings. Finally – in truth the second problem he was facing – there was Hermione. On seeing her Harry had been distinctly thankful that he had read several books on the modification of enchantments. Harry still didn't know exactly what it was, but he could tell that what he had Seen was anything but an Occlumency shield. He could still see the insidious pattern wrapped around his friend's mind, but that simple Sight gave him an advantage greater than any could imagine. He could See how the spells that constrained her thoughts were built and with that knowledge he could hopefully modify them without changing their outward appearance.  
Problem three, the Order of the Phoenix. This was a multi-faceted problem that was going to be very difficult to deal with due to the number of highly skilled wizards who were members. But all of this, all of these problems led back to the same man. Albus Dumbledore. Of course, Tom was out there, but he'd been very quiet over the summer. No doubt he was gaining allies, but that took time and that was the one thing he no longer had in his favour. He also wasn't an immediate threat as he would need even more time to put in place a strategy to get to Harry. So the main problems had been outlined. The third obstacle literally couldn't have a quick solution. There were too many people to deal with and breaking the Order's power wasn't going to be possible without breaking Dumbledore's. Neither did the first problem have a clear remedy that didn't involve serious bodily harm or worse. But Hermione was a way into at least one of those problems and Harry was pretty sure that he could break the compulsions on her without actually destroying them. Of course, he needed to disable them before they could be completed and he didn't doubt that Dumbledore wasn't far off doing just that. And that final thought brought him back to the task at hand. Safely breaking those enchantments without alerting anything.  
But first, he needed to meet Hermione again and it was for this reason that Harry Potter now found himself leaning idly against the entrance to Knockturn Alley at four pm on the twenty ninth of August. He hadn't liked picking this location, especially due to his Empathy, but it was the only place he knew of where he could slip under the Order's radar. Not because they didn't have watchers here, but because those watchers had so much more to look out for that they shouldn't notice him. The main problem would be concealing Hermione, Harry had changed into a full length hooded cloak before heading to the Alley so he didn't attract much in the way of attention. Quite foolish really, assuming anyone in a face-concealing garment was part of the 'usual' population but then the Order had proven itself to have such blind spots so many times already this didn't surprise him. But back to the problem at hand. Hermione – when she got here – was going to stick out like a rose in a bog. She wouldn't see any reason to conceal her identity and that could come back and bite him later. Hopefully though, he would be able to get her under a cloak before any of the Order spotted her. Keeping one eye on the entranceway, he scanned the area around him for possible watchers. He thought back over the lessons he had been given on this subject, looking for people who were trying to be comfortable or seem casual. There! His eyes narrowed. That was one, but they must have other watchers here...there! Once he had located the first sentry, finding the others was a – relatively – easy task in comparison. He mentally sketched their fields of vision, overlaying the blind spots and locating the best position. A familiar brown haired form appeared down the street and he moved into the crowd, flowing with it towards the watchers whilst he shook a throwing knife from his left arm sheath. It was one of the things he had learnt with Avira and he had found – to his great shock – that he had a fearsome latent talent for the knives. Avira said it was something about the hand-eye required with being a Seeker. His eyes tracked the movement of the target with a cool indifference, lining up for a clear shot that would still conceal his action. There! His hand twitched as he passed a tiny side street, sending a razor edged blade hurtling upwards.  
His knife tore through the screens that hid Tonks from view, glancing off her shields before burying itself in the frame of the window she had been watching from. The reaction was instantaneous. He saw the other Order members vanish from their positions and then reappear by the – now ruined – screen and chuckled. He ducked into the side street, muttered a few words to change the colour of his cloak and transfigure one for Hermione before stepping back out onto the street with the other cloak held under one arm like a wrapping. He caught Hermione at the threshold to the alley and pulled her to one side with one hand going over her mouth to stop the inescapable exclamation.  
"Put this on, quickly!" He whispered, slipping the cloak to her. Her eyes widened as she recognised his voice and she swiftly swept the cloak around her.  
"Harry, why do I hav-"  
"Because you can't be seen here, especially not with me." He replied, anticipating her question.  
"But Harry. Why?"  
"I...I can't tell you that. Yet. No." He cut her off as her mouth opened to speak. "I'm not mad, or anything else like that. Just follow me, please." He half-pleaded.  
"Ok Harry." She replied gently. "But this had better not be a joke." She said playfully and frowned slightly when he didn't smile.  
"Come on then. Before the Order starts a search." He pulled her after him down a side street, suddenly thankful for the maps that Avira had made him memorise of the Alleys. He moved swiftly along the streets, turning right and left with apparent randomness before they emerged into a small courtyard. "Here we are." He said softly, leading Hermione into one of the houses.  
Once inside the building, he shut the door and cast several high level secrecy and locking charms. "Ok. That should stop anyone noticing us." He said before turning back to Hermione. "Hermione...I know you have questions. Far more then I can answer in the limited time period we have. But there's something I have to do first."  
"What do you mean?" Harry's brow clenched in concentration as he stared at her forehead. "Harry?" Hermione said, a slight quaver in her voice as she saw his hands tense.  
Harry drove his Sight into the pattern wrapped around Hermione's mind, digging deep through the outer layers to find the enchantment's heart. _Remarkable_ he thought, _though incredibly strong all you need to do is 'twist' this part and..._ Harry's wand turned in his hand as he directed a tiny tendril of Power into the midst of the pattern. Spinning around alarms and fail-safes it penetrated to the heart of the enchantment and Harry lined it up with care. _There._ The Power lashed out, warping a tiny part of the pattern and disrupting its power flows but not destroying it. _Destroying would just make them cast it again and add more safeties. Disabling like this is much less likely to be noticed._ He thought as he pulled out of the pattern to see Hermione standing shivering in front of him.  
"Hermione!" He called. She looked up at him, eyes deathly calm and he suddenly felt anger slam into his shields.  
"I can't believe this society!" Hermione screamed. "What sort of reasonable culture has spells that erase their casting from your memory and - EW!" Hermione shuddered, her hands trying to brush an invisible _something_ off her face. "I let...oh gods I think I might be sick! I am going to _**kill**_ h-" She stopped suddenly as she finally noticed Harry who had backed down the entire length of the hallway and was holding his head with one hand. "Harry? What's wrong?" She asked, her voice suddenly soft. "Are you all right? Is it your scar?" She moved down the hall towards him, "Harry, listen to me. It's ok. Everything's fine." Reaching him, she pulled his head around to face her. "Harry...what's the matter?"  
"I...Hermione, you were so _angry_." Harry whispered.  
"What do you mean?"  
"I mean," he paused, steadying himself from the emotional outrage that had just blasted through him, "that I could feel your anger. It was- it _is_ terrifying. Like a hurricane or tsunami, bloody hell Hermione, for a moment I thought you were going to _kill_ someone."  
"Harry, I would nev-wait. You said you could _feel_ my anger? That's not possible Harry." She said quickly and Harry sighed.  
"Believe me, you have no idea how much I wish that were true sometimes."  
"But I've never read anything about sensing emotions Harry." She tapped his chest. "And I believe you owe me an explanation for where you were this summer." She said tartly and Harry relaxed as he felt her anger subside. He flicked his wand, conjuring a pair of chairs.  
"I think you're going to want to be seated for this Hermione." He said as he slid into one of the chairs. She followed his action tentatively, surprised by his level of competence. "Let's see...where to begin. I wasn't kidnapped at the start of summer Hermione. If anything, I was liberated from a prison of Dumbledore's creation." Her mouth started to move in protest but he didn't let her get a word in. "I was taken somewhere – I'm still not sure where – but it was another _world_ Hermione. A world outside of this one at least. Magic is different there, _everything_ is different there. And I have a Gift of that world. A Gift that allows me to know what people are feeling. Not mind-reading, more emotion-reading then anything else." Hermione couldn't restrain herself any longer.  
"Harry, that just isn't possible. Another _world_? How did you get there? More importantly, why did you go there? I mean, didn't you even think about what could have ha-" Hermione stopped dead as Harry looked at her. A look, that was it. And everything that had happened over the summer came crashing into her mind. His parent's will being delivered. The images of the world he had visited. His training in physical, magical and emotional combat. The horrendous mixture of rage and pain that had slowly drained away into simple sorrow with the help of his teachers. And beneath it all a riotous, impossible joy. And then it stopped as suddenly as it had started, leaving her breathless. "I...Harry, what the _hell_ was that?" She gasped, her mind still catching up with the force of the emotionally charged memories. Harry's face was clouded with a mixture of surprise and confusion.  
"I...I really don't know." Harry replied, trying to replay what had just happened in his mind. He had wanted to show Hermione everything that had happened and somehow his Gift had responded.  
\- FLASHBACK -  
"What you have to understand Harry is that Gifts, unlike your magic, respond incredibly easily to sub-conscious – or in some cases conscious – wishes. It's one of the reasons that I had to lock down part of your Gift when you first got here." Elani paused as she saw the confusion on his face and sighed gently. "As a rule Harry, the more powerful a Gift is, the easier it responds to what you want. If you had woken up hearing voices inside your head, or whatever it is you feel when you sense mind-speech, how would you have reacted?"  
"I...I would have wanted them out." Harry replied, "I'm still not hugely comfortable with how it feels, but now that I know what it is I'm all right with it." Elani nodded.  
"And there's where the problem would have been. When you are fully trained, you will quite possibly be able to fight both Avira and I to a standstill. As it was then though, you would have used that power as a club to silence the voices in your mind. And that would have shattered the minds of dozens." She reached out, squeezing her pupil's shoulder. "I know it's frightening, having that much power at your command. But that fear is a perfectly rational and very good thing. If you weren't frightened of it, then you wouldn't accept how dangerous it is. Any gift of this level should never be taken lightly. Though training will allow you to control it, never forget that when we send you back this control will not be anywhere close to complete."  
"So, will you lock it down partially when I go back?" Harry asked.  
"Now, while it should depend on how much control you have by then, it's incredibly unlikely that you'll have anything but the lightest blocks on your power when you go back, Harry. If you get attacked you very well may need it." Their eye's locked. "Don't worry about it though. Just be careful about what you wish for. If your Gift can do it and you want it enough, it will happen." She shook herself slightly before smiling. "Now that's quite enough talk I think. Let's see what we can do with this shield of yours. You see-  
-END FLASHBACK-  
"Hermione?" Harry asked quietly.  
"Yes Harry?"  
"What did you see?" She started.  
"I saw...I saw your escape, the reasons behind it, everything that you did this summer." Harry let out the mental breath he had been holding. She was calling his disappearance an escape. She shook her head slowly. "I just..." Harry nodded.  
"It's a huge shock, I know. In a way it's also worse than what happened to me as you're getting hit by _everything_ I learnt over the summer at once." He reached out to grasp her shoulder comfortingly only to find her past his hand and hugging him. Almost without thinking, he responded as he felt the confused pain she was feeling. Eventually her hold loosened and she pulled away from him, wiping her eyes with one hand. "Better now?" He asked, deliberately ignoring the tint of red around her eyes that hadn't been there before.  
"Much." She replied. She examined him considering the new knowledge she had been given. _Wait a second_. "Harry, I know where you got it now, but are you sure you want to parade around with that on your hip?" She asked, indicating the sword sheathed at his waist.  
"Well right now it discourages people from trying anything on me. The real reason though," he had the good sense to at least _try_ to look abashed, "I just want to throw people off. I mean, imagine what the reaction will be when I walk into the Great Hall with it on." He grinned as Hermione was once more reduced to speechlessness. As Hermione started to regain control of her vocal cords however, the grin vanished. "Think about it though. You've seen what was revealed to me, how much of my life has been naught but falsehood. Hermione, I need to do everything in my power to knock the people who created those lies off balance. This is just one of the little things I'm planning on doing that should tip that balance a bit further out of their favour." He glanced at his watch and stiffened slightly. "I'm afraid I have to go now Hermione, I can't risk being found yet and if you don't get back soon the Order will want to send out a search party."  
"But you came right up to me a-" He shook his head.  
"That was a lucky break for me Hermione. Appearing and then vanishing the way I did there will just throw them off a bit more. But being located could cause problems. I need dear old Albus to know I'm around. I just don't want him to know _where_. Before I go though I need to know; are you going to be ok tonight?" Hermione thought for a few seconds and then nodded sharply.  
"I think I can survive one night Harry, but it's nice of you to ask." She replied mischievously. She waved away his concern. "I'll be fine Harry, you just make sure you aren't found."  
"I – All right." He pulled his hood up, completely concealing his face before leading her to the door. "Go straight down that alley and it will bring you out beside Flourish and Blotts." He indicated one of the better lit walks. "I'll see you on the train then." Harry finished, waiting for her nod before disappearing down the same alley they had come from. Hermione lingered for a few seconds more, watching him vanish into the darkness before turning and heading down the alley he had indicated to rejoin Ginny and Ron at the Leaky Cauldron for transport back to Order Headquarters.


	5. Chapter 5

Rain beat down on the roof of Platform 9¾ , tapping out a staccato rhythm all but lost to the bustling crowd below. Harry watched the Aurors stationed at the entrance to the platform with veiled amusement. Oh, they probably had spells set up to detect the Trace on his wand when he passed through it, but it just so happened that those spells had been on the wrong entrance. Knowing from what Elani had told him that people only started to arrive at nine or ten, Harry had neatly circumvented the risk of passing through the barrier as well as that of the Order catching him before he got on the train by using his Firebolt to fly onto the platform at six am. He had then gotten onto the Express and waited. When the Aurors arrived at seven, he simply made sure he was in compartment out of their field of vision. Then when the first pupils arrived, he was just assumed to have gotten there before them and wasn't approached as most of them weren't the most social people – hence the reasons for their early arrivals. When the real crowds started to appear, he placed a locking charm on the compartment door. As he kept his face hidden from anyone looking in, a few people knocked once or twice out of simple curiosity when they found the compartment locked but when they found themselves ignored they moved on a found their own seats. Only when what he had decided to start calling the 'Order' pupils passed through the barrier did he move at all and that was only due to concentration. If someone had been watching, they would have seen him tense the same way twice more before the train left. And if that same person had been able to see who was entering the station at the same time as those movements he might have drawn some very interesting conclusions. As it was though, no one gave him any notice until he slid compartment door open a full twenty minutes after they had left the station.  
He knew that at this point he was going to be noticed. There was nothing he could do about that fact. But there were surprisingly few people in the corridors of the train. When he looked in on some of the compartments as he passed them he began to realize why. Disheartened people didn't move around that much more than absolutely necessary. And these people certainly seemed depressed. _Well_ he thought _if the reason for that is my 'kidnap' or whatever Albus has taken to calling it then they're in for a surprise tonight._ He hid a smile as he made his way along the length of the Express, following something. Near the front of the train, he found that something. Hermione was sitting with Ron and Ginny, quite obviously (to him at least) not that comfortable around them. He grinned as he drew his wand, this should draw Hermione out a treat. He traced a three-dimensional star in the air before him, infusing the area with magic. He then pointed his wand at the centre of the construct.  
"Pluvia Lux-lucis."  
Hermione was trying almost desperately to keep up conversation with Ron and Ginny as she usually did on the Express. She had been uncharacteristically quiet last night and she knew it so today she was doing her best to bore them to death by talking about the book she had got to cover her meeting with Harry. It was actually a rather fascinating work, the chapters she had read so far had covered the basics of anchoring wards and the contents page seemed to promise explanations of how to weaken and eventually destroy or alter those anchors. She was about half-way to driving Ginny into torpidity when a star of swirling colour floated _through_ the glass of the compartment door and circled the room before moving through the door again and vanishing down the corridor. Hermione, temporarily stunned by what had just happened, quickly regained control over herself and dashed out of the door with her wand in her hand.  
"Hermione, where are you going?" Ron called after her. She stopped for a moment poking her head back through the door.  
"That was a piece of rather advanced magic Ronald; I want to know who cast it. And if they're allowed to." She said brightly, "We _are_ prefects remember?"  
"Hermione," he groaned as she vanished again, "come back." He fully expected her to walk back in on hearing him, the loyalty spell primer Dumbledore had cast on her should at least give him that level of control. But she didn't reappear. He consigned that strange fact to his memory to bring up with Dumbledore the next time they talked. He would want the spell checked if Hermione was able to disobey him like that. It could mean a set back on the casting of the real spell as the primer had to stay in place for at least three months before it could be affirmed. This summer had been a dream though, Hermione 'helping' him with all his homework had left him free to do whatever he wanted. He swung his feet up onto the rest of the seat and drifted off into those fun memories.  
Hermione followed the star as it travelled along the Express, casting just about diagnostic spell she knew on it as she walked. The star itself moved at a brisk walking pace and seemed to be a simple outline with the lines filled with ever-shifting colours. She had never read about anything like it either and that was what truly intrigued her. Hermione's thirst for knowledge extended to almost everything and though it sometimes annoyed people it had also been undeniably life-saving on several occasions. And this was something completely outside of her knowledge, a non-physical magical construct that was operating without directions or power from a wand. And that, though not completely without precedent, was incredibly complex magic. She did have a sneaking suspicion of who had cast it – one of the reasons she had followed it so quickly – but she wasn't going to trust that until she got some clear evidence. She was so lost in thinking about how it was possible that she almost didn't notice the object of her interest slow and float through the door to another compartment. Looking around, she realised she had followed it almost the entire length of the train. She slid the door open and saw Harry sitting by the window watching the countryside speed by. The star of colour floated down in front of him and he smiled.  
"So you found me did you?" He said wryly, gesturing for her to sit.  
"So it seems." She replied, taking a seat across from him and watching intently as he whispered something indecipherable to the star. It seemed to 'nod' to him and then vanished through the compartment door once again. "How do you do that?" She whispered. "I mean, I know it's technically possible...but something like that acting without a wand actively present is a very rare occurrence."  
"Well," Harry said, "let's just say Empathy wasn't the only Gift I received."  
-FLASHBACK-  
"Avira, I know my Gift's strong but I thought that you and Elani were capable of shielding it." Harry said as he followed his teacher through the Pass-through around the Working Area.  
"We can." Avira answered, an unusual grimness colouring his tone. "At least, we can shield your Empathic Gift." Harry stiffened.  
"I thought you said I only had two Gifts and the other one was Mage-Sight?"  
"Yes I did, unfortunately what I told you at Privet Drive was slightly misleading. Mage-Sight is only part of a Gift. And that Gift is _Mage-Gift_ Harry." Harry's mouth closed with an almost audible click of teeth.  
"Does that mean that I'll be able to do what you and Elani can do?" he asked almost fearfully.  
"I would say 'I'm sorry but you won't', but you seem to be glad of that fact." Avira replied. "At most you have a mid-level Journeyman's potential." Harry sighed with relief.  
"Sorry, it might same strange but having _one_ Adept level Gift is more than enough for me." Avira chuckled.  
"That's quite understandable. I don't think many sane people _would_ want two Adept level Gifts if they knew what having _one_ was like." He paused. "Now in these sessions I'm going to be teaching you how to ground, centre and shield. Those three things form the basic education of every properly taught Gifted. They are what allows one to protect themselves from their Gift, control it and use it to protect themselves from other Gifted." He smiled slightly. "In all honesty this is going to help you with your Empathy as well. The basic principles are very similar. Don't for a moment think though that being able to ground, centre and shield for one Gift means you can apply exactly the same techniques to another. _Especially_ with the sort of power difference you have between them. On that subject though, these lessons will also allow me to accurately determine your potential as a Mage. I can say though, regardless of that you possess one of the keenest Mage-Sights I have ever seen. I'm putting that down to whatever the will did to you." Harry nodded before speaking up.  
"Considering what I know you've done, I've left the Power that I can see around me alone. I really don't want to damage anything."  
"That's good, even though you wouldn't be able to access more than one of the weaker ley-lines. You're not keyed to the Heartstone." Avira replied and gestured. "That massive concentration of power that's almost too bright to look at is the Heartstone Harry, it's the power source of all the Vale's enchantments."  
"But, what exactly is it?" Harry asked.  
"Well we're...still not exactly sure. I mean, it acts like a node except it doesn't have a limit to the number of 'lines' that can be attached to it, it purifies the energy is stores and there doesn't seem to be a limit to that storage capacity." He suddenly realised his mistake as he noticed Harry's confusion and sighed. "My apologies Harry, I forgot that we haven't yet explained the way our magic works. Every living thing creates magical energy, tiny amounts of it but it's there nonetheless. The basic theory is that this energy concentrates in ley-lines like water flowing to a stream. Nodes are the magical equivalent of lakes in this analogy though they also draw more lines to themselves. And then there are the Heartstones. To continue the analogy, they are oceans of magic with no perceivable limit once well established. Heartstones are also truly unique as they purify the Power that flows into them, making it safe for all the mages of the Vale to use."  
"You mean every mage has access to that?" Harry asked suddenly.  
"Every mage in the Clan is keyed to the Heartstone Harry, though you probably won't be. No one can really tell what could happen if your world's magic came into contact with a source of this world's magic as concentrated as a Heartstone." Harry nodded, relief again standing out on his face. "Now," Avira said, his tone turning businesslike, "first off you need to learn to ground your power. Let's start with this..."  
-END FLASHBACK-  
Hermione quickly made the connections in her head, drawing from the memories she now had of his summer. His lips curved up slightly as he felt the rapid-fire sequence of conclusions firing off inside her head to find her answer.  
"Ah, now I see." She said a few seconds later. "Mage-Gift." He nodded approvingly.  
"Exactly. I don't have access to Power like what Avira or Elani can call on – thank god – but for reasons that Avira just put down to how the magic of the will meddled with my magical channels I seem to be able to access the weaker ley-lines. And as if I didn't already have _enough_ strangeness in my life." He said jokingly before turning serious. "Now, how was your night?" He asked carefully.  
"It could have been worse I think." Hermione replied. "The interrogation we were subjected to after Ginny told the Order members who picked us up that we had met you in Diagon tired us out. Did you really _have_ to throw a knife at Tonks?"  
"They told you about that?" Harry laughed. "Well, strictly speaking no. But I knew she had shields that would protect her and I wanted to cause a stir. What did they think of it?"  
"Well Dumbledore has said that he wants whoever threw the knife found. He 'wants to know if it was an action of Voldemort or if we have another enemy out there'. But I don't think it's being given that high a priority now that they know you're back. I do have a question though. How-" The rest of her question was interrupted by a rattling on the door. They both looked up to see Draco Malfoy attempting to open the compartment door. He was flanked by his usual 'companions' and seemed to be rather intent on entering. Finding that physical force was ineffective, he drew his wand and pointed it at the door. Harry stifled a laugh.  
"This should be rather fun to watch I think." He said, leaning back.  
"Harry, are you sure you want to let him try to brea-" Hermione was cut off yet again as Draco cast his first spell. The door remained resolutely shut and the words "You do not have an appointment at this time. Please try again later." appeared in the air in front of the blond. His face darkened and he raised his wand again. A ray of light lanced out to impact on the door. A second later, Malfoy and his cohorts were no longer standing at the door. Hermione looked at him quizzically. "Where did they go Harry?" Harry laughed.  
"He just couldn't let it slide..." He said through peals of laughter. Calming himself he answered her. "The spell he cast there was a rather more powerful unlocking charm than your usual _Alohomora_ and it triggered the intruder discouragement spells. He and his two muscles are currently lying in a heap in the corridor forty foot that way," he gestured, "with the same words that appeared when he tried _Alohomora_ hovering above them." He laughed again at her expression, as she was torn between outrage and hysterical laughter. In the end though, the conflict never had enough time to resolve as the star of light came floating back through the door again which slid open to allow Luna and Neville to enter.  
"Ah, you're here. Come in quickly and close the door behind you. I think you're going to enjoy this next bit." Harry said jovially to the newcomers as he gestured at empty seats beside him and Hermione. "Take a seat." Taken aback by his welcome they both slid into the seats just as Draco appeared in front of the door again, having obviously sprinted the entire way when he saw people entering. When the door once again refused to grant him entrance he tried something more forceful than his two previous attempts. The door slid open with a gesture of Harry's wand, allowing the ray of light to splash harmlessly on the shield just inside the door frame. Harry sighed and stood.  
"You know, that could have hurt someone Malfoy. Blasting hexes aren't something you play around with."  
"And why should I care about that Potter?" He replied viciously. "Assaulting a prefect and presumptive Heir to an Ancient House. The Headmaster _and_ Wizengamot will hear of thi-"  
"Oh be quiet." Harry said flatly as Draco's perceived threat triggered the intruder removal section of the wards he had cast.  
If there had been anyone in the corridor at the time they would have seen Draco Malfoy – a stunned expression on his face – go flying out of one of the compartments. Harry stalked to the door, the blonde's wand held in his left hand and his tone was that of one scolding a child. "You know, considering what had already happened to you, you really _should_ have expected something like that. As it is," he twirled the boy's wand in his hand, "I think I'll be holding on to this. If you're a good boy, I'll let you have it back at the end of the feast. Good day." He calmly shut the door in Malfoy's face. Turning back to his friends he pocketed his wand. "I believe I owe two of you an explanation." He sat and looked at the two he was referring to. Neville had a look of dumbfounded shock on his face at what Harry guessed to be his swift rebuke of Malfoy and the fact that he was so casually _back_. Luna on the other hand looked at him strangely for a few seconds before speaking.  
"I was wondering when. You know the Velgaridani gave you a _very_ nice gift Harry. They must really like you to have given you such a wonderful piece of Wrackspurt dispelling equipment. Maybe you can let me get a closer look at it later." She smiled vaguely, indicating Harry's sword. Hermione opened her mouth, closed it again and expelled a long-suffering sigh.  
"I don't think I'm _ever_ getting used to you Luna." Luna laughed.  
"Good. If you ever got used to me, why," she paused for effect, "I'd be boring and then the Wrackspurts wouldn't come and visit me." Hermione's eyes bulged for a few seconds and then she laughed as well. "Now that that altogether lovely Wrackspurt jamming device has been addressed though, I think Neville might have a few questions." She waved her hand in front of the boy's face to jolt him out of wherever the shock had taken him. He jumped slightly and then his face cleared.  
"Sorry about that Harry, it's just you vanish for the entire summer and everyone says you've been kidnapped and then you're just back again." He smiled, "It's quite startling. Not to mention the fact that was both the most impressive and most effortlessly handled confrontation with Malfoy I've seen in my life." Harry chuckled.  
"I can understand that. Now, you both must have a lot of questions but just answering them would create even more questions and I doubt we'd be done by the time we got to Hogwarts. So, I'm going to tell you about everything that happened to me this summer." They both nodded. "Now as you know, I vanished about a week after the school term ended. By the end of that week I think a doctor would have said I was close to being a suicide risk. If I had been left there for the entire summer I don't know if I would be here right now." He let them absorb that information before continuing. "Then Avira came. Avira is the person who both rescued me and opened my eyes. You see, him coming along wasn't random. A month before they died, a few days short of going under the Fidelus, my parents gave a copy of their will to Avira. They did this," Harry took a deep breath, "because they suspected that Albus Dumbledore was not the paragon of 'Light' that he wished everyone to think he was and they knew Avira was powerful enough to evade him. I can't give you the reasons behind their suspicions of Dumbledore as they weren't included in the will." He raised his hand to ward off the question he was sure Neville was going to ask. "The only reason I trusted it, and him, was because he was able to match the Familial Signs, and the will was sealed inside a _Curorreus_ case attuned to the blood of both my parents." Both Neville and Luna gasped at that, though Hermione looked blank. She knew the _significance_ of a _Curorreus_ case, but still didn't know _why_ it was so important.  
"A _Curorreus_ case is probably one of the most powerful artifacts that we still know how to create, Hermione. They're hideously expensive to commission but some of the older families have quite a few in their vaults." Neville stated, "I _think_ we have three or four in the Longbottom vaults, but the Potter's were a much older family than we were. Only the people who make them know how they work and even then only partially according to what I've been told. What they do though has been known for centuries. When created they are keyed to respond to the willingly given blood of the family that ordered them. After that no one except a member of that family, not even the person who made it, can open the case after it's been closed. They are also just about as close as you get to completely indestructible. Magic bounces right off their outer shell and there was at least one recovered from one of the World War Two nuclear drops on Japan. It was estimated to be about 500 foot from ground zero and the only evidence of that fact was some light char on the casing." Hermione's eyes widened at that. "They're basically a perfect safe." Neville finished, slightly surprised by his own eloquence.  
"How come these sort of things aren't talked about in any of the books I've read?" Hermione asked, annoyance colouring her tone.  
"Well, in part the supremacist pure-bloods want to keep the 'contaminants' – those being people like you Hermione – from learning their secrets. The main reason though is that 'these sort of things' as you put it, are not well understood by Wizarding society. For the most part people just accept that they exist without giving a thought to how. A few have tried to decipher how the work," Luna winced, "let's just say such attempts rarely go well. And on the rare occasions that the researcher isn't killed, the results remain within his family." Harry nodded to Neville in thanks for the explanation.  
"Now as I said, Avira had a _Curorreus_ case with him that was attuned to the blood of both my parents. This left me as the only person who can open it. And what it contained was _not_ a normal will. Avira called it a Power-storm and said that I was damned lucky that it was controlled or it would have burnt me out. Whatever it was, it changed me. And more than that it told me almost everything my parent's knew about the Order and its members. It implanted a copy of the will with that knowledge as well, a copy patently immune to being wiped or suppressed from my mind. According to what it says, there have been at least five major violations of its terms and I'm not even going to get started on the tens of minor violations it has recorded." A chime cut off anything more that Harry would have said and the entire group glanced out the window to find that night had fallen. Harry sighed. "I guess any further explanations will have to wait for another time then," he remarked, disappointment clear on his face. "We had better change."  
"But Harry," Neville asked, "surely you want at least a magical oath to not reveal any of this." Harry shook his head.  
"Not needed Neville, I know both you and Luna won't betray me. Just be sure not to meet any of the teacher's eyes." Luna nodded in understanding but Neville looked – for one of the few times in this conversation – confused.  
"I'll explain it to him Harry, don't worry about it. Anything else?" He seemed to ponder the thought deeply.  
"In fact, yes. Leave any conflicts between me and Dumbledore, Malfoy or 'Professor' Snape to me. This is my fight and though when I broach all out defiance I _will_ need your help, I do not want to pull you into the 'talk' I am almost definitely going to be subjected to after the Feast." He showed the two of them to the door so that they could return to their compartment to change. "We will talk again soon, just remember what I have said here. Leave the battle to me for now. Your strength will be needed later, preserve it for that time."


End file.
